System and method for locating a target subject

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a system and method for locating a target subject associated with an X-ray system. The X-ray system may include an X-ray source, a detection component, an arm, and a platform. The X-ray system may also include a first positioning component, a second positioning component, or a third positioning component. The first positioning component may be configured to determine a target point where a region of interest (ROI) of the target subject locates. The second positioning component may be configured to locate the target subject. The third positioning component may be configured to obtain location information of a target device associated with the target subject in real-time.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/236,460,filed on Dec. 29, 2018, which is a Continuation of InternationalApplication No. PCT/CN2018/107434, filed on Sep. 25, 2018, which claimspriority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201710874065.2 filed on Sep.25, 2017, Chinese Patent Application No. 201711242643.7 filed on Nov.30, 2017, Chinese Patent Application No. 201711384644.5 filed on Dec.20, 2017, and Chinese Patent Application No. 201810671197.X filed onJun. 26, 2018. Each of the above-referenced applications is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to a medical system, and moreparticularly, to a system and method for locating a target subject in amedical or imaging procedure.

BACKGROUND

In a surgical operation (e.g., a puncturing surgery), an operator mayperform the surgical operation at a lesion point (e.g., a puncturingpoint) associated with a target subject (e.g., a patient). An anatomicalimage may be determined by emitting X-rays towards the target subject bya medical imaging system, which may assist the operator to determine thelesion point. In some cases, the lesion point may be determined based onthe anatomical image and clinical experience of the operator, which maybe relatively inefficient or inaccurate. In some cases, in the surgicaloperation, anatomical images from different perspectives may be needed,and the operator may need to adjust the radiation of the X-rays (e.g., adirection of the X-rays) to ensure the lesion point at or near to thecenter of the anatomical image from the different perspectives. In somecases, in order to navigate the surgical operation in real-time (e.g.,navigate an operation equipment), at least one additional device (e.g.,a trolley) used for placing the navigation device in an operation room.In one hand, the additional device may occupy the space of the operationroom. In the other hand, the additional device may have to register withthe medical imaging system before navigation, which may be inefficient.Thus, it may be desirable to develop a method or a system to locate thetarget subject or the target device in a medical imaging procedure.

SUMMARY

In one aspect of the present disclosure, an X-ray system may beprovided. The X-ray system may include an X-ray source configured toemit an X-ray beam towards a target subject; a detection componentconfigured to receive at least a portion of the X-ray beam thattransmits through the target subject; an arm configured to support thedetection component and the X-ray source; a platform configured to placethe target subject, the platform being situated between the X-ray sourceand the detection component; and a first positioning componentconfigured to determine a target point where a region of interest (ROI)of the target subject locates, wherein: the first positioning componentincludes a first laser component configured to emit a first laser beam,and a second laser component configured to emit a second laser beam,wherein said first and second laser beam intersect at the target point.

In some embodiments, the arm may comprise a group selected from a C-armand a G-arm.

In some embodiments, the target point may locate at an intersection of afirst X-ray beam emitted by the X-ray source when the arm is at a frontposition and a second X-ray beam emitted by the X-ray source when thearm is at a lateral position.

In some embodiments, the target point may locate at an intersectionbetween a central axis of said first X-ray beam and a central axis ofsaid second X-ray beam.

In some embodiments, the first laser component may be mounted on an areaselected from the X-ray source and the detection component.

In some embodiments, the first laser component may be mounted on anouter side of the detection component.

In some embodiments, the second laser component may be mounted on aninner side of the arm.

In some embodiments, one of the first laser beam and the second laserbeam may have a shape of crisscross, and the other one has a shape ofslot.

In some embodiments, the first laser beam or the second laser beam withthe shape of crisscross may be emitted by a crisscross laser generatoror by two perpendicular slotted laser generators.

In some embodiments, the system may also include: a position detectingdevice configured to detect a rotation angle of the arm, wherein thepositioning detecting device is mounted on the arm; and a promptingdevice configured to prompt the rotation angle, wherein the promptingdevice is connected to the position detecting device.

In some embodiments, the system may also include: a third laser emittingcomponent configured to emit a third laser beam with a firstpredetermined pattern on the target subject; and a second positioningcomponent being situated between the detection component and theplatform, wherein the first predetermined pattern being projected on thesecond positioning component coincides with a pattern of the secondpositioning component, and the second positioning component isconfigured to locate the target subject based on the first predeterminedpattern and an anatomical image associated with the target subjectdetermined by projecting the X-ray beam towards the target subject.

In some embodiments, a first travel path of the third laser beam emittedby the third laser emitting component may coincide with a second travelpath of the X-ray beam emitted by the X-ray source.

In some embodiments, the system may also include a third positioningcomponent configured to: obtain location information of a target deviceassociated with the target subject in real-time.

In some embodiments, the third positioning component may include atleast two positioning detectors.

In a second aspect of the present disclosure, an X-ray system isprovided. The X-ray system may include: an X-ray source configured toemit an X-ray beam towards a target subject; a detection componentconfigured to receive at least a portion of the X-ray beam thattransmits through the target subject; an arm configured to support thedetection component and the X-ray source; a platform configured to placethe target subject, the platform being situated between the X-ray sourceand the detection component; a laser emitting component configured toemit a laser beam with a first predetermined pattern on the targetsubject; and a positioning component being situated between thedetection component and the platform, wherein the first predeterminedpattern being projected on the positioning component coincides with apattern of the positioning component, and the positioning component isconfigured to locate the target subject based on the first predeterminedpattern and an anatomical image associated with the target subjectdetermined by projecting the X-ray beam towards the target subject.

In some embodiments, the arm may comprise a group selected from C-armand a G-arm.

In some embodiments, the first predetermined pattern may comprise girdsselected from a group selected from regular lines, grids includingregular polygons, grids including irregular polygons, grids includingregular curves, and grids including circles.

In some embodiments, a first travel path of said laser beam may coincidewith a second travel path of said X-ray beam.

In some embodiments, the laser emitting component may be mounted on theX-ray source.

In some embodiments, the X-ray source may include: an X-ray componentconfigured to emit the X-ray beam towards the target subject; and alaser controlling component underneath of the X-ray component,comprising: a reflector and the laser emitting component, the firsttravel path of the laser beam emitted by the laser emitting componentafter reflected by the reflector coinciding with the second travel pathof the X-ray beam.

In some embodiments, the positioning component may include at least onepositioning marker, and the at least one positioning marker isconfigured to locate the target subject.

In some embodiments, the at least one positioning marker may include atleast one laser marker.

In some embodiments, the at least one positioning marker may locate onat least one intersection of the grids of the first predeterminedpattern.

In some embodiments, the positioning component may be situated on asurface of the detection component facing the platform.

In some embodiments, the system may also include: a movement deviceconfigured to move the positioning component away from the surface ofthe detection component facing the platform.

In some embodiments, the movement device includes: a transmissionmechanism configured to move the positioning component, the transmissionmechanism being connected to the positioning component.

In some embodiments, the positioning component may be placed on thedetection component or wounded by the transmission mechanism.

In some embodiments, the transmission mechanism may comprise at leastone transmission wheel, and wherein the transmission mechanism isconnected to the positioning component through the at least onetransmission wheel.

In some embodiments, the system may also include: a second positioningcomponent configured to: obtain location information of a target deviceassociated with the target subject in real-time.

In some embodiments, the second positioning component may include atleast one positioning detector.

In a third aspect of the present disclosure, an X-ray system isprovided. The X-ray system may include: an X-ray source configured toemit an X-ray beam towards a target subject; a detection componentconfigured to receive at least a portion of the X-ray beam thattransmits through the target subject; an arm configured to support thedetection component and the X-ray source; a platform configured to placethe target subject, the platform being situated between the X-ray sourceand the detection component; and a positioning component configured to:obtain location information of a target device associated with thetarget subject in real-time.

In some embodiments, the arm may comprise a group selected from a C-armand a G-arm.

In some embodiments, the target device associated with the targetsubject may comprise an operation equipment.

In some embodiments, the positioning component may comprise at least twopositioning detectors.

In some embodiments, the at least two positioning detectors may be ableto move to adjust at least two distances between the at least twopositioning detectors.

In some embodiments, the positioning component may include at least onereciprocating rod, wherein an end of each of the at least onereciprocating rod is mounted on the arm.

In some embodiments, the each of the at least one reciprocating rod maycorrespond to each of the positioning detector.

In some embodiments, the third positioning component may include atleast one slide rail, wherein the at least one slide rail is mounted onthe arm.

In some embodiments, the positioning detector may slide through the atleast one slide rail.

In some embodiments, the slide rail may include a reciprocating sliderail.

In some embodiments, the positioning component may be mounted on thedetection component or the X-ray source.

In some embodiments, the positioning component may be slidably mountedon the arm.

In some embodiments, the arm may accommodate the at least one sliderail.

In some embodiments, the positioning detector may include at least oneslide block matched with the at least one slide rail.

In some embodiments, the positioning detector may include an opticpositioning detector.

In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a positioning method of anX-ray system may be provided. The X-ray system may include an X-raysource, a detection component, an arm, a platform, a first positioningcomponent including a first laser component, and a second lasercomponent, and the positioning method comprising: rotating the arm to afront position; initiating the first laser component and the secondlaser component; and determining a target point based on an intersectionbetween a first laser beam emitted by the first laser component and asecond laser component emitted by the second laser component.

In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a positioning method of anX-ray system may be provided. The X-ray system may include an X-raysource, a detection component, an arm, a platform, a positioningcomponent, and a laser emitting component, and the positioning methodcomprising: mounting the positioning component between the detectioncomponent and a target subject; obtaining an overlaid image including ananatomical image associated with the target subject determined byprojecting a detection beam towards the target subject and a pattern ofthe positioning component formed on a surface of the target subject;determining a lesion point associated with the target subject based onthe overlaid image and a first predetermined pattern determined byprojecting a positioning beam to the target subject by the laseremitting component; and determining a target point corresponding to thelesion point based on the overlaid image and the first predeterminedpattern.

In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a positioning method of anX-ray system is provided. The X-ray system may include an X-ray source,a detection component, an arm, and a platform, and the positioningmethod comprising: determining an anatomical image associated with atarget subject by projecting a detection beam towards the targetsubject; overlapping a first pattern on the anatomical image; forming asecond pattern on a surface of the target subject by projecting apositioning beam to the target subject, wherein the first patterncoincides with the second pattern; and determining a target point basedon the anatomical image and the second pattern.

In some embodiments, the first pattern or the second pattern may includegrids.

In some embodiments, wherein determining said target point based on theanatomical image and the second pattern includes: determining a lesionpoint associated with the target subject based on the anatomical image;and determining the target point on the grids of the second patternbased on the lesion point.

In some embodiments, wherein determining said lesion point associatedwith the target subject based on the anatomical image includes:obtaining diagnostic information associated with the target subject; anddetermining the lesion point associated with the target subject based onthe diagnostic information.

In some embodiments, the method may also include showing the diagnosticinformation associated with the target subject on the anatomical image.

In some embodiments, wherein determining the target point on the gridsof the second pattern based on the lesion point includes: determining arelationship between a plurality of first points on the grids of thefirst pattern and a plurality of second points corresponding to theplurality of first points on the grids of the second pattern.

In some embodiments, the method may also include marking the targetpoint by projecting a marking beam or the positioning beam to the targetpoint.

In some embodiments, the marking beam is emitted by a laser devicemounted on the arm.

In some embodiments, the target point may be a point where a surgicaloperation is performed.

In some embodiments, the method may also include adjusting thepositioning beam based on the first pattern and the second patternprojected by the positioning beam.

In some embodiments, wherein adjusting the positioning beam based on thefirst pattern and the second pattern projected by the positioning beamincludes: adjusting the positioning beam if the second pattern projectedby the positioning beam does not coincide with the first pattern.

Additional features will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the artupon examination of the following and the accompanying drawings or maybe learned by production or operation of the examples. The features ofthe present disclosure may be realized and attained by practice or useof various aspects of the methodologies, instrumentalities andcombinations set forth in the detailed examples discussed below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is further described in terms of exemplaryembodiments. These exemplary embodiments are described in detail withreference to the drawings. These embodiments are non-limiting exemplaryembodiments, in which like reference numerals represent similarstructures throughout the several views of the drawings, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary X-ray systemaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating exemplary hardware and/orsoftware components of an exemplary computing device according to someembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating exemplary hardware and/orsoftware components of an exemplary mobile device according to someembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary X-ray system ata front position according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the exemplary X-ray system ata lateral position according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary travel path ofan X-ray beam emitted by an X-ray source and an exemplary travel path ofa first laser beam emitted by a first laser component according to someembodiments;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for determininga target point where a region of interest (ROI) of the target subjectlocates according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 8-9 are schematic diagrams illustrating an exemplary X-ray systemaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 10-11 are schematic diagrams illustrating an exemplary thirdpositioning component according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary X-ray systemaccording to some embodiments;

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary travel path ofan X-ray beam emitted by an X-ray source and an exemplary travel path ofa first laser beam emitted by a first laser component according to someembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary pattern of asecond positioning component according to some embodiments;

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary anatomicalimage associated with the exemplary pattern of the second positioningcomponent according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 16-19 are schematic diagram illustrating exemplary secondpositioning components according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for determininga target point according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 21 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary processing device120 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure

FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for determininga target point of an X-ray system according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for determininga target point associated with a target subject according to someembodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 24 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for determininga lesion point associated with a target subject according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth by way of examples in order to provide a thorough understanding ofthe relevant disclosure. However, it should be apparent to those skilledin the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without suchdetails. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, systems,components, and/or circuitry have been described at a relativelyhigh-level, without detail, in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuringaspects of the present disclosure. Various modifications to thedisclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in theart, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to otherembodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not limitedto the embodiments shown, but to be accorded the widest scope consistentwith the claims.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularexample embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As usedherein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprise,”“comprises,” and/or “comprising,” “include,” “includes,” and/or“including,” when used in this specification, specify the presence ofstated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/orcomponents, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or moreother features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components,and/or groups thereof.

It will be understood that the term “system,” “engine,” “unit,”“module,” and/or “block” used herein are one method to distinguishdifferent components, elements, parts, section or assembly of differentlevel in ascending order. However, the terms may be displaced by anotherexpression if they achieve the same purpose.

Generally, the word “module,” “unit,” or “block,” as used herein, refersto logic embodied in hardware or firmware, or to a collection ofsoftware instructions. A module, a unit, or a block described herein maybe implemented as software and/or hardware and may be stored in any typeof non-transitory computer-readable medium or another storage device. Insome embodiments, a software module/unit/block may be compiled andlinked into an executable program. It will be appreciated that softwaremodules can be callable from other modules/units/blocks or themselves,and/or may be invoked in response to detected events or interrupts.Software modules/units/blocks configured for execution on computingdevices (e.g., processor 210 as illustrated in FIG. 2 ) may be providedon a computer-readable medium, such as a compact disc, a digital videodisc, a flash drive, a magnetic disc, or any other tangible medium, oras a digital download (and can be originally stored in a compressed orinstallable format that needs installation, decompression, or decryptionprior to execution). Such software code may be stored, partially orfully, on a storage device of the executing computing device, forexecution by the computing device. Software instructions may be embeddedin firmware, such as an EPROM. It will be further appreciated thathardware modules/units/blocks may be included in connected logiccomponents, such as gates and flip-flops, and/or can be included ofprogrammable units, such as programmable gate arrays or processors. Themodules/units/blocks or computing device functionality described hereinmay be implemented as software modules/units/blocks but may berepresented in hardware or firmware. In general, themodules/units/blocks described herein refer to logicalmodules/units/blocks that may be combined with othermodules/units/blocks or divided into sub-modules/sub-units/sub-blocksdespite their physical organization or storage. The description mayapply to a system, an engine, or a portion thereof.

It will be understood that when a unit, engine, module or block isreferred to as being “on,” “connected to,” or “coupled to,” anotherunit, engine, module, or block, it may be directly on, connected orcoupled to, or communicate with the other unit, engine, module, orblock, or an intervening unit, engine, module, or block may be present,unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the term“and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of theassociated listed items.

These and other features, and characteristics of the present disclosure,as well as the methods of operation and functions of the relatedelements of structure and the combination of parts and economies ofmanufacture, may become more apparent upon consideration of thefollowing description with reference to the accompanying drawings, allof which form a part of this disclosure. It is to be expresslyunderstood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose ofillustration and description only and are not intended to limit thescope of the present disclosure. It is understood that the drawings arenot to scale.

The flowcharts used in the present disclosure illustrate operations thatsystems implement according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. It is to be expressly understood, the operations of theflowcharts may be implemented not in order. Conversely, the operationsmay be implemented in inverted order, or simultaneously. Moreover, oneor more other operations may be added to the flowcharts. One or moreoperations may be removed from the flowcharts.

The present disclosure relates to a system and method for locating atarget subject associated with an X-ray system. The X-ray system mayinclude an X-ray source, a detection component, an arm, and a platform.The X-ray system may also include at least one positioning component(e.g., a first positioning component, a second positioning component, athird positioning component). The first positioning component may beconfigured to determine a target point where a region of interest (ROI)of the target subject locates. The first positioning component mayinclude a first laser component configured to emit a first laser beam,and a second laser component configured to emit a second laser beam. Thefirst laser beam and the second laser beam may intersect at the targetpoint. The second positioning component may be configured to locate thetarget subject. The second positioning component may be situated betweenthe detection component and the platform. The third positioningcomponent may be configured to obtain location information of a targetdevice (e.g., an operation equipment) associated with the target subjectin real-time.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary X-ray systemaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The X-raysystem 100 may include an X-ray imaging apparatus 110, a processingdevice 120, a storage device 130, a terminal 140, and a network 150. Thecomponents of the X-ray system 100 may be connected to each other invarious ways. Merely by way of example, the X-ray imaging apparatus 110may be connected to the processing device 120 via the network 150. Asanother example, the X-ray imaging apparatus 110 may be connected to theprocessing device 120 directly. As a further example, the storage device130 may be connected to the processing device 120 directly or via thenetwork 150. As still a further example, the terminal 140 may beconnected to the processing device 120 directly or via the network 150.

The X-ray imaging apparatus 110 may include an X-ray source 111 (alsoreferred to as an X-ray tube), a detection component 112, a C-arm 113,and a platform 114. The X-ray source 111 and the detection component 112may be mounted on the C-arm 113. The C-arm 113 may include a first endand a second end arranged opposite to each other. For example, the X-raysource 111 may be mounted on the first end of the C-arm 113 and thedetection component 112 may be mounted on the second end of the C-arm113. Alternatively, the X-ray source 111 may be mounted on the secondend of the C-arm 113 and the detection component 112 may be mounted onthe first end of the C-arm 113.

The platform 114 may hold or support a subject. The subject may be abiological subject (e.g., a patient, an animal) or a non-biologicalsubject (e.g., a man-made subject). The X-ray source 111 may emit X-rays(also referred to as “X-ray beam”) towards the subject, and the X-raysmay attenuate when passing through the subject. The detection component112 may receive the attenuated X-rays that pass through the subject andgenerate readings (also referred to as scanning data) corresponding tothe received X-rays. In some embodiments, the detection component 112may include a scintillation detector (e.g., a cesium iodide detector), agas detector, a circular detector, a square detector, an arcuatedetector, or the like, or any combination thereof. The detectioncomponent 112 may be a single-row detector or a multiple-row detector.

In some embodiments, the processing device 120 may process data obtainedfrom the X-ray imaging apparatus 110, the storage device 130, or theterminal 140. For example, the processing device 120 may obtain scanningdata related to a subject. The processing device 120 may further processthe scanning data to generate an anatomical image of the subject. Asanother example, the processing device 120 may determine a target pointwhere a region of interest (ROI) of the subject locates. As a furtherexample, the processing device 120 may determine location information ofa target device (e.g., an operation equipment) associated with thesubject in real-time.

The processing device 120 may include a central processing unit (CPU), adigital signal processor (DSP), a system on a chip (SoC), amicrocontroller unit (MCU), or the like, or any combination thereof. Insome embodiments, the processing device 120 may be a single server or aserver group. The server group may be centralized or distributed. Insome embodiments, the processing device 120 may be local or remote. Forexample, the processing device 120 may access information and/or datastored in the X-ray imaging apparatus 110, the storage device 130,and/or the terminal 140 via the network 150. As another example, theprocessing device 120 may be directly connected to the X-ray imagingapparatus 110, the storage device 130, and/or the terminal 140, toaccess stored information and/or data. In some embodiments, theprocessing device 120 may be implemented on a cloud platform. Merely byway of example, the cloud platform may include a private cloud, a publiccloud, a hybrid cloud, a community cloud, a distributed cloud, aninter-cloud, a multi-cloud, or the like, or any combination thereof.

The storage device 130 may store data and/or instructions. In someembodiments, the storage device 130 may store data obtained from theprocessing device 120 and/or the terminal 140. In some embodiments, thestorage device 130 may store data and/or instructions that theprocessing device 120 may execute or use to perform exemplary methodsdescribed in the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the storagedevice 130 may include a mass storage, removable storage, a volatileread-and-write memory, a read-only memory (ROM), or the like, or anycombination thereof. Exemplary mass storage may include a magnetic disk,an optical disk, a solid-state drive, etc. Exemplary removable storagemay include a flash drive, a floppy disk, an optical disk, a memorycard, a zip disk, a magnetic tape, etc. Exemplary volatileread-and-write memory may include a random-access memory (RAM).Exemplary RAM may include a dynamic RAM (DRAM), a double date ratesynchronous dynamic RAM (DDR SDRAM), a static RAM (SRAM), a thyristorRAM (T-RAM), and a zero-capacitor RAM (Z-RAM), etc. Exemplary ROM mayinclude a mask ROM (MROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasableprogrammable ROM (PEROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM(EEPROM), a compact disk ROM (CD-ROM), and a digital versatile disk ROM,etc. In some embodiments, the storage device 130 may be implemented on acloud platform. Merely by way of example, the cloud platform may includea private cloud, a public cloud, a hybrid cloud, a community cloud, adistributed cloud, an inter-cloud, a multi-cloud, or the like, or anycombination thereof.

In some embodiments, the storage device 130 may be connected to thenetwork 150 to communicate with one or more components of the X-raysystem 100 (e.g., the terminal 140, the processing device 120). One ormore components of the X-ray system 100 may access the data orinstructions stored in the storage device 130 via the network 150. Insome embodiments, the storage device 130 may be directly connected to orcommunicate with one or more components of the X-ray system 100 (e.g.,the terminal 140, the processing device 120). In some embodiments, thestorage device 130 may be part of the processing device 120.

The terminal 140 include a mobile device 140-1, a tablet computer 140-2,a laptop computer 140-3, or the like, or any combination thereof. Insome embodiments, the mobile device 140-1 may include a smart homedevice, a wearable device, a smart mobile device, a virtual realitydevice, an augmented reality device, or the like, or any combinationthereof. In some embodiments, the smart home device may include a smartlighting device, a control device of an intelligent electricalapparatus, a smart monitoring device, a smart television, a smart videocamera, an interphone, or the like, or any combination thereof. In someembodiments, the wearable device may include a bracelet, footgear,eyeglasses, a helmet, a watch, clothing, a backpack, an accessory, orthe like, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the smartmobile device may include a smartphone, a personal digital assistant(PDA), a gaming device, a navigation device, a point of sale (POS)device, or the like, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments,the virtual reality device and/or the augmented reality device mayinclude a virtual reality helmet, a virtual reality glass, a virtualreality patch, an augmented reality helmet, an augmented reality glass,an augmented reality patch, or the like, or any combination thereof. Forexample, the virtual reality device and/or the augmented reality devicemay include a Google Glass, an Oculus Rift, a HoloLens, a Gear VR, etc.In some embodiments, the terminal 140 may remotely operate the X-rayimaging apparatus 110. In some embodiments, the terminal 140 may operatethe X-ray imaging apparatus 110 via a wireless connection. In someembodiments, the terminal 140 may receive information and/orinstructions inputted by a user, and send the received informationand/or instructions to the X-ray imaging apparatus 110 or to theprocessing device 120 via the network 150. In some embodiments, theterminal 140 may receive data and/or information from the processingdevice 120. In some embodiments, the terminal 140 may be part of theprocessing device 120. In some embodiments, the terminal 140 may beomitted.

The network 150 may facilitate exchange of information and/or data. Insome embodiments, one or more components of the X-ray system 100 (e.g.,the X-ray imaging apparatus 110, the terminal 140, the processing device120, or the storage device 130) may send information and/or data toanother component(s) in the X-ray system 100 via the network 150. Insome embodiments, the network 150 may be any type of wired or wirelessnetwork, or combination thereof. The network 150 may be and/or include apublic network (e.g., the Internet), a private network (e.g., a localarea network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN)), etc.), a wired network(e.g., an Ethernet network), a wireless network (e.g., an 802.11network, a Wi-Fi network), a cellular network (e.g., a Long TermEvolution (LTE) network), a frame relay network, a virtual privatenetwork (“VPN”), a satellite network, a telephone network, routers,hubs, switches, server computers, and/or any combination thereof. Merelyby way of example, the network 150 may include a cable network, awireline network, an optical fiber network, a telecommunicationsnetwork, an intranet, an Internet, a local area network (LAN), a widearea network (WAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a metropolitanarea network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), a public telephoneswitched network (PSTN), a Bluetooth™ network, a ZigBee™ network, a nearfield communication (NFC) network, or the like, or any combinationthereof. In some embodiments, the network 150 may include one or morenetwork access points. For example, the network 150 may include wired orwireless network access points such as base stations and/or internetexchange points through which one or more components of the X-ray system100 may be connected to the network 150 to exchange data and/orinformation.

It should be noted that the above description of the X-ray system 100 isprovided for the purposes of illustration, and is not intended to limitthe scope of the present disclosure. For persons having ordinary skillsin the art, multiple variations and modifications may be made under theteachings of the present disclosure. However, those variations andmodifications shall not depart from the scope of the present disclosure.For example, the X-ray system 100 may include any other shape of arm,e.g., a G-arm, etc.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating exemplary hardware and/orsoftware components of an exemplary computing device 200 on which theprocessing device 120 may be implemented according to some embodimentsof the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the computingdevice 200 may include a processor 210, a storage 220, an input/output(I/O) 230, and a communication port 240.

The processor 210 may execute computer instructions (program code) andperform functions of the processing device 120 in accordance withtechniques described herein. The computer instructions may include, forexample, routines, programs, objects, components, signals, datastructures, procedures, modules, and functions, which perform particularfunctions described herein. For example, the processor 210 may processdata obtained from the X-ray imaging apparatus 110, the terminal 140,the storage device 130, and/or any other component of the MRI system100. Specifically, the processor 210 may process one or more measureddata sets obtained from the X-ray imaging apparatus 110. For example,the processor 210 may perform one-dimensional (1D) correction ortwo-dimensional (2D) correction for the measured data set(s). Theprocessor 210 may reconstruct an image based on the corrected dataset(s). In some embodiments, the reconstructed image may be stored inthe storage device 130, the storage 220, etc. In some embodiments, thereconstructed image may be displayed on a display device by the I/O 230.In some embodiments, the processor 210 may perform instructions obtainedfrom the terminal 140. In some embodiments, the processor 210 mayinclude one or more hardware processors, such as a microcontroller, amicroprocessor, a reduced instruction set computer (RISC), anapplication specific integrated circuits (ASICs), anapplication-specific instruction-set processor (ASIP), a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a physicsprocessing unit (PPU), a microcontroller unit, a digital signalprocessor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an advancedRISC machine (ARM), a programmable logic device (PLD), any circuit orprocessor capable of executing one or more functions, or the like, orany combinations thereof.

Merely for illustration, only one processor is described in thecomputing device 200. However, it should be noted that the computingdevice 200 in the present disclosure may also include multipleprocessors, thus operations and/or method steps that are performed byone processor as described in the present disclosure may also be jointlyor separately performed by the multiple processors. For example, if inthe present disclosure the processor of the computing device 200executes both process A and process B, it should be understood thatprocess A and process B may also be performed by two or more differentprocessors jointly or separately in the computing device 200 (e.g., afirst processor executes process A and a second processor executesprocess B, or the first and second processors jointly execute processesA and B).

The storage 220 may store data/information obtained from the X-rayimaging apparatus 110, the terminal 140, the storage device 130, or anyother component of the MRI system 100. In some embodiments, the storage220 may include a mass storage device, a removable storage device, avolatile read-and-write memory, a read-only memory (ROM), or the like,or any combination thereof. For example, the mass storage may include amagnetic disk, an optical disk, a solid-state drive, etc. The removablestorage may include a flash drive, a floppy disk, an optical disk, amemory card, a zip disk, a magnetic tape, etc. The volatileread-and-write memory may include a random access memory (RAM). The RAMmay include a dynamic RAM (DRAM), a double date rate synchronous dynamicRAM (DDR SDRAM), a static RAM (SRAM), a thyristor RAM (T-RAM), and azero-capacitor RAM (Z-RAM), etc. The ROM may include a mask ROM (MROM),a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable programmable ROM (PEROM), anelectrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a compact disk ROM(CD-ROM), and a digital versatile disk ROM, etc. In some embodiments,the storage 220 may store one or more programs and/or instructions toperform exemplary methods described in the present disclosure. Forexample, the storage 220 may store a program for the processing device120 for reducing or removing one or more artifacts in an image.

The I/O 230 may input or output signals, data, and/or information. Insome embodiments, the I/O 230 may enable a user interaction with theprocessing device 120. In some embodiments, the I/O 230 may include aninput device and an output device. Exemplary input devices may include akeyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, a microphone, or the like, or acombination thereof. Exemplary output devices may include a displaydevice, a loudspeaker, a printer, a projector, or the like, or acombination thereof. Exemplary display devices may include a liquidcrystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED)-based display, aflat panel display, a curved screen, a television device, a cathode raytube (CRT), or the like, or a combination thereof.

The communication port 240 may be connected with a network (e.g., thenetwork 150) to facilitate data communications. The communication port240 may establish connections between the processing device 120 and theX-ray imaging apparatus 110, the terminal 140, or the storage device130. The connection may be a wired connection, a wireless connection, orcombination of both that enables data transmission and reception. Thewired connection may include an electrical cable, an optical cable, atelephone wire, or the like, or any combination thereof. The wirelessconnection may include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, WiMax, WLAN, ZigBee, mobilenetwork (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G, etc.), or the like, or a combination thereof.In some embodiments, the communication port 240 may be a standardizedcommunication port, such as RS232, RS485, etc. In some embodiments, thecommunication port 240 may be a specially designed communication port.For example, the communication port 240 may be designed in accordancewith the digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM)protocol.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating exemplary hardware and/orsoftware components of an exemplary mobile device 300 according to someembodiments of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 3 , themobile device 300 may include a communication platform 310, a display320, a graphic processing unit (GPU) 330, a central processing unit(CPU) 340, an I/O 350, a memory 360, and a storage 390. In someembodiments, any other suitable component, including but not limited toa system bus or a controller (not shown), may also be included in themobile device 300. In some embodiments, a mobile operating system 370(e.g., iOS, Android, Windows Phone, etc.) and one or more applications380 may be loaded into the memory 360 from the storage 390 in order tobe executed by the CPU 340. The applications 380 may include a browseror any other suitable mobile apps for receiving and renderinginformation relating to image processing or other information from theprocessing device 120. User interactions with the information stream maybe achieved via the I/O 350 and provided to the processing device 120and/or other components of the MRI system 100 via the network 150.

To implement various modules, units, and their functionalities describedin the present disclosure, computer hardware platforms may be used asthe hardware platform(s) for one or more of the elements describedherein. The hardware elements, operating systems and programminglanguages of such computers are conventional in nature, and it ispresumed that those skilled in the art are adequately familiar therewithto adapt those technologies to generate an image with reduced Nyquistghost artifact as described herein. A computer with user interfaceelements may be used to implement a personal computer (PC) or other typeof work station or terminal device, although a computer may also act asa server if appropriately programmed. It is believed that those skilledin the art are familiar with the structure, programming and generaloperation of such computer equipment and as a result the drawings shouldbe self-explanatory.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary X-ray system ata front position, and FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating theexemplary X-ray system at a lateral position according to someembodiments of the present disclosure. The X-ray system 400 may includean C-arm 410, an X-ray source 411, a detection component 412, and aplatform (not shown). The X-ray source 411 may be configured to emitX-rays toward a target subject. The detection component 412 may beconfigured to receive at least a portion of the X-rays that transmitthrough the target subject. The platform may be configured to place thetarget subject, and the platform may be situated between the X-raysource 411 and the detection component 412. The C-arm 410 may beconfigured to support the detection component 412 and the X-ray source411.

The C-arm 410 may be non-isocentric. The C-arm 410 may be configuredwith at least two perspectives (e.g., a first perspective, a secondperspective). The C-arm 410 may be rotated from one perspective toanother perspective around the center of the C-arm 410. The X-ray system400 may be configured to determine an anatomatical image from eachperspective by scanning at least a portion of the target subject. Theanatomatical image may show a health condition of a region of interest(ROI) 440 of a target subject. The X-ray system 400 may also include afirst positioning component. The first positioning component may beconfigured to determine a target point where the ROI 440 of the targetsubject locates, thereby placing the center of the ROI 440 at or near tothe target point before the scanning and then obtaining an anatomaticalimage of which the ROI 440 is near to or at the center. Specifically,the first positioning component may be configured to simplify theprocess for locating the ROI 440 in the at least two perspectives.

The first positioning component may include a first laser component 420and a second laser component 430. The first laser component 420 may bemounted on the X-ray source 411 or the detection component 412. Thefirst laser component 420 may be configured to emit a first laser beam422. A travel path of the first laser beam 422 may coincide with theX-rays emitted by the X-ray source 411 by adjusting a mounting locationand/or an emitting angle of the first laser component 420. Therefore,the first laser beam 422 may be configured to identify a travel path ofthe X-rays emitted by the X-ray source 411. The second laser component430 may be mounted on an inner position of the C-arm 410. The secondlaser component 430 may be configured to emit a second laser beam 432.The second laser beam 432 and the first laser beam 422 may intersect ata point, and the point may be the target point where the ROI 440 of thetarget subject locates before scanning. Therefore, the ROI 440 may benear to or at the centers of the anomatical images determined at thefirst perspective and the second perspective.

The configuration of the first positioning component (e.g., the firstlaser component 420 and the second laser component 430) may faciliate todetermine the target point where the ROI 440 of the target subjectlocates at based on the first laser beam 422 and the second laser beam432 instead of emitting the X-rays repeatedly to determine anatomicalimages of the target subjects and adjusting the positions of the C-arm410 based on the determined anatomical images. When the ROI 440 of thetarget subject locates at the target point, the ROI 440 may be near toor at the centers of anomatical images determined at the firstperspective and the second perspective, and thus, the ROI 440 beingoutside of the anomatical image or the ROI 440 being a position that isnot near to the center of the anomatical image may be avoided.

In some embodiments, an angel between the first laser beam 422 and thesecond laser beam 432 may be equal to an angle between the firstperspective and the second perspective such that the X-rays may passthrough the center (e.g., point F shown in FIGS. 4-5 ) of the ROI 440.For example, the angle may be 90°. Since a travel path of the secondlaser beam 432 at the first perspective may coincide with a travel pathof the X-rays (or the first laser beam 422) at the second perspective,and a distance from an end of the C-arm 410 to the rotation center(e.g., point O) may remain the same, a distance from the rotation centerto the first laser beam 422 may be equal to a distance from the rotationcenter to the second laser beam 432, which may improve the accuracy todetermine the target point where the ROI 440 of the target subjectlocates.

In some embodiments, the C-arm 410 may be rotated to a plurality ofperspectives. A plurality of second laser components 430 may be mountedalong the inner side of the C-arm 410. Each second laser component 430may correspond to two perspectives. Before scanning, an operator (e.g.,a doctor) may select two perspectives from the plurality of perspectivesbased on practical demands. The operator may select a second lasercomponent 430 corresponding to the first laser component 420 from theplurality of second laser components 430 based on the two perspectives.The target point where the ROI 440 of the target subject locates may bedetermined based on the first laser component 420 and the selectedsecond laser component 430. Therefore, after determining an anatomicalimage at the first perspective, the C-arm 410 may be directly rotated tothe second perspective to determine an anatomical image at the secondperspective without any other adjustment of locations, therebyfacilitating the process for determining the target point for at leasttwo perspectives.

As shown in FIG. 4 . the X-ray system 400 may be at a front position,the C-arm 410 may be in a vertical status, and the detection component412 may be at an upper end of the C-arm 410. The X-ray source 411 may beat a lower end of the C-arm 410. As shown in FIG. 5 , the X-ray system400 may be at a lateral position, and the C-arm 410 may be in ahorizontal status. The detection component 412 may be at a left end ofthe C-arm 410, and the X-ray source 411 may be at a right end of theC-arm 410. In some embodiments, the X-rays emitted by the X-ray system400 may be a cone beam. A first X-ray beam emitted by the X-ray source411 when the C-arm 410 is at the front position and a second X-ray beamemitted by the X-ray source 411 when the C-arm 410 is at the lateralposition may have an intersecting area. Therefore, when an intersectingpoint of the first laser beam 422 emitted by the first laser component420 and the second laser beam 432 emitted by the second laser component430 is within the intersecting area, the intersection may be designatedas the target point where the ROI 440 of the target subject locates.

In some embodiments, a first center axis of the first X-ray beam and asecond center axis of the second X-ray beam may intersect at a point(e.g., point E as illustrated in FIGS. 4-5 ). The point may bedesignated as the target point. If the ROI 440 of the target subject isat the target point, the ROI 440 may be at a center of a front image ora lateral image. In some embodiments, one of the first laser beam 422and the second laser beam 432 may have a shape of crisscross, and theother one may have a shape of slot. Therefore, two planes determined bythe laser beam with the shape of crisscross and a plane determined bythe laser beam with the shape of slot may intersect at the target point.The X-ray system 400 described above may make locating the target pointmore accurate and make observation more convenient, thereby avoidingunnecessary radiation towards the target subject and improving workingefficiency of an operator (e.g., a doctor).

In some embodiments, the laser beam (e.g., the first laser beam 422, thesecond laser beam 432) with the shape of crisscross may be emitted by acrisscross laser generator or by two perpendicular slotted lasergenerators. In some embodiments, the first laser component 420 mayinclude two slotted laser generators configured to emit the laser beamwith the shape of crisscross, and the two slotted laser generators maybe mounted on the outer side of the detection component 412respectively. The second laser component 430 may include a slotted lasergenerator configured to emit the laser beam with the shape of slot. Insome embodiments, the first laser component 420 and the second lasercomponent 430 may be point source laser generators, each laser beamgenerated from which is a straight line. The target point may bedetermined based on intersection of the two straight lines. Thestructure of the X-ray system described above may be easier, however,the accuracy of the location of the target point determined by the X-raysystem may be lower with respect to the X-ray system including thecrisscross laser generator or by two perpendicular slotted lasergenerators. In some embodiments, the configuration of the first lasercomponent 420 and the second laser component 430 may make a firstintersecting line associated with the first laser component 420 near toor coincide with the center of the X-ray beam when the C-arm 410 is atthe front position. A sector emitted by the laser generator in the XOYplane and a sector emitted by the laser generator in the ZOY plane mayintersect at the first intersecting line. Besides, a sector emitted bythe laser generator of the second laser component 430 in the XOY planemay include the point E and a second intersecting line between the pointE and an intersecting point of the C-arm 410 along the X-axis.

In some embodiments, the X-ray system 400 may include the firstpositioning component described above, a position detecting device, anda prompting device (not shown in FIGS. 4-5 ). The position detectingdevice may be mounted on the C-arm 410 and configured to detect arotation angle of the C-arm 410. The prompting device may be mounted onthe positioning detecting device and configured to prompt the rotationangle. For example, upon detecting that the C-arm 410 is rotated to thefront position or the lateral position, the position detecting devicemay detect a position of the C-arm 410, and transmit the position to acontroller. The controller may control the prompting device to generatea signal to prompt that the C-arm 410 is at the corresponding positions,thereby avoiding the C-arm 410 over-rotating. Moreover, the first lasercomponent 420 and the second laser component 430 may be lasergenerators, e.g., laser lights, thereby simplifying the X-ray system 400and the operations and reduce the cost.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary travel path ofan X-ray beam emitted by an X-ray source and an exemplary travel path ofa first laser beam emitted by a first laser component according to someembodiments.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the X-ray source 411 may include an X-ray component411-1 and a laser controlling component 411-2. The X-ray component 411-1may be configured to emit the X-rays towards the target subject. Thelaser controlling component 411-2 may be underneath of the X-raycomponent 411-1. The laser controlling component 411-2 may include areflector 411-3 and the first laser component 420. The reflector 411-3may be tilted, and the first laser component 420 may be situated on oneside of the reflector 411-3. The X-rays emitted by the X-ray component411-1 may pass through the back surface of the reflector 411-3, thus atravel path of the X-rays emitted by the X-ray component 411-1 may bethe same as a travel path of the X-rays after reflected by the reflector411-3. The first laser beam 422 emitted by the first laser component 420may pass through the front surface of the reflector 411-3, thus, atravel path of the first laser beam 422 emitted by the first lasercomponent 420 may be different from a travel path of the laser beam 422after reflected by the reflector 411-3, and the travel path of the laserbeam 422 after reflected by the reflector 411-3 may coincide with thetravel path of the X-rays emitted by the X-ray component 411-1. Thestructure of the X-ray source 411 described above may ensure that thetravel path of the laser after reflected by the reflector 411-3 maycoincide with the travel path of the X-rays emitted by the X-raycomponent 411-1 and avoid the first laser component 420 being situatedunderneath the X-ray component 411-1, which may cause to shelter aportion of the X-rays.

In some embodiments, the first laser component 420 may be mounted on thedetection component 412, e.g., an outer side of the detection component412, thereby avoiding to affect the imaging of the detection component412 and simplifying the structure and mounting of the first lasercomponent 420.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for determininga target point where a region of interest (ROI) of the target subjectlocates according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

In 710, a C-arm (e.g., the C-arm 410) may be rotated to a frontposition. The front position may correspond to a first perspective. Thefirst perspective may be selected according to practical demandassociated with the ROI (e.g., the ROI 440 described above) of thetarget subject.

In 720, a first laser component (e.g., the first laser component 420described above) and a second laser component (e.g., the second lasercomponent 430 described above) may be initiated. The first lasercomponent may emit a first laser beam (e.g., the first laser beam 422described above). The second laser component may emit a second laserbeam (e.g., the second laser beam 432 described above).

A target point may be determined based on an intersection between thefirst laser beam emitted by the first laser component and the secondlaser component emitted by the second laser component. The region ofinterest (ROI) of the target subject may be placed at the target point.An anatomical image of the ROI with respect to the first perspective maythen be determined.

In some embodiments, the C-arm may be rotated to a second perspectivedifferent from the first perspective. The region of interest (ROI) ofthe target subject may also be placed at the target point. An anatomicalimage of the ROI with respect to the second perspective may then bedetermined.

The anatomical images of the ROI with respect to the first perspectiveand the second perspective may be determined for one time, and the ROImay be near to or at the centers of the anatomical images, thus theoperator may not need to adjust the C-arm, a times for scanning may bereduced, the target subject (e.g., a patient) may be avoided fromunnecessary radiation, and the working efficiency of the operation maybe improved.

In the prior art, an X-ray system may be configured to scan a targetsubject and then determine an anatomical image of the target subject.The anatomical image may show a health condition of the target subject,and the anatomical image may be used to help a surgical operation. TheX-ray system generally cannot navigate a surgical operation, and thus anadditional navigation device may be needed to assist the operator tonavigate the surgical operation (e.g., a surgical knife, a locationwherein the surgery is performed). In this case, the operator maydetermine the location of the surgical knife and/or the location wherethe surgery is performed by repeatedly scanning, which may cause arelatively large amount of radiation to the operator and the targetsubject and be harmful to them. FIGS. 8-9 are schematic diagramsillustrating an exemplary X-ray system according to some embodiments ofthe present disclosure. The X-ray system 800 can navigate a surgicaloperation. The X-ray system 800 may include a detection component 810,an X-ray source 820, a C-arm 830, and a third positioning component 840.The X-ray source 820 may be configured to emit X-rays towards a targetsubject. The detection component 810 may be configured to receive atleast a portion of the X-rays that transmit through the target subject.The C-arm 830 may be configured to support the detection component 810and the X-ray source 820.

The third positioning component 840 may be configured to obtain locationinformation of a target device associated with the target subject inreal-time. The target device may include an operation equipment, e.g., asurgical knife. The third positioning component 840 may include at leasttwo positioning detectors 841.

The third positioning component 840 may be integrated at the X-raysystem 800. It should be noted that the third positioning component 840may be integrated at a position of the X-ray system, from which thesurgical operation of the target subject can be monitored. The thirdpositioning component 840 may send the location information of thetarget device to an image processing station (e.g., the processingdevice 120). The image processing station may virtually display thelocation information of the target device on the anatomical image,thereby navigating the surgical operation and guiding the operator toperform the surgical operation.

The third positioning component 840 may include at least two positioningdetectors (e.g., positioning detector 841 as illustrated in FIGS. 10-11). The positioning detectors may include various kinds of positioningdetectors. For example, the positioning detectors may include opticpositioning detectors, e.g., infrared detectors. Take the operationequipment as the target device, when the positioning detectors is aninfrared detector, the operation equipment may have an infrared sourcematched with the infrared detector, additionally or alternatively, theoperation equipment may have a reflector that can passively reflectinfrared rays. The infrared rays emitted or reflected by the operationequipment may be collected by the infrared detector, and therebyobtaining location information of the infrared source or the reflectorof the operation equipment in real time. In some embodiments, a lengthof the operation equipment, a relative position of an end of theoperation equipment and the infrared source or the reflector may bepredetermined, thereby locating the operation equipment and navigatingthe surgery. In some embodiments, a locator may be mounted on an end ofthe operation equipment. The locator may include at least three infraredemitting balls or at least three infrared reflecting balls. Thepositioning detectors (e.g., cameras) may monitor locations of the atleast three infrared emitting balls or the at least three infraredreflecting balls, thereby determining the relative position of the endof the operation equipment.

In some embodiments, the positioning detector may also include laserpositioning detectors, high-precision cameras, etc. In some embodiments,the positioning detectors may include non-optical positioning detectors,e.g., magnetic field sensors. The magnetic field sensor may be mountedon the target device. A magnetic field source may generate a magneticfield, and the magnetic field sensor may receive a signal emitted by themagnetic field sensor, thereby obtaining a location and a spatiallocation and a posture of the magnetic field sensor.

In some embodiments, the third positioning component 840 may be mountedon at least one position of the X-ray system 800. In some embodiments,as shown in FIG. 8 , the third positioning component 840 may be mountedon the detection component 810. For example, the third component 400 maybe mounted on an end of the detection component 810.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 9 , the third positioningcomponent 840 may be mounted on the X-ray source 820. For example, thethird component 400 may be mounted on an end of the X-ray source 820.

In some embodiments, the third positioning component 840 may be mountedon the C-arm 830 of the X-ray system 800. The C-arm 830 may rotate alongdifferent rotation axes, thereby scanning the target subject fromdifferent perspectives. In some embodiment, the third positioningcomponent 840 may be mounted on a position that is relatively near to anend of the C-arm 830, and the position may be at an upper side of theplatform such that the third positioning component 840 can navigate thesurgical operation.

A space for mounting the positioning detectors may be limited and,distances between different positioning detectors may be not long,causing to inaccurately locate the operation equipment. In someembodiments, the at least two positioning detectors may be able to moveto adjust at least two distances between the at least two positioningdetectors, thereby ensuring to navigate the surgical operationaccurately.

The at least two distances between the at least two positioningdetectors may be adjusted by various structures. FIGS. 10-11 areschematic diagrams illustrating an exemplary third positioning componentaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown inFIGS. 10-11 , the third positioning component 840 may include at leastone reciprocating rod 842. An end of each of the at least onereciprocating rod 842 may be mounted on, e.g., the C-arm 830. Onepositioning detector of the positioning detectors 841 may be mounted onan end that is relatively far from, e.g., the C-arm 830, of onereciprocating rod of the at least one reciprocating rod 842.

In some embodiments, a number of the at least one reciprocating rod 842may include 1, 2, or more. For example, if the number of the positioningdetectors 841 is 2, and a distance between the two positioning detectors841 needs to be adjusted, one of the two positioning detectors 841 maybe mounted on a position of the X-ray system relatively far from theposition of the X-ray system 800, and another of the two positioningdetectors 841 may be mounted on a position of the X-ray system, therebyadjusting the distance between the two positioning detectors 841.Additionally or alternatively, a number of the at least onereciprocating rod 842 may be 2, and the two positioning detectors 841may be mounted on an end that is far from the position of thereciprocating rod 842, thereby adjusting the distance between the twopositioning detectors 841 by the two reciprocating rods 842.

In some embodiments, the number of the at least one reciprocating rod842 may correspond to the number of the positioning detectors 841,thereby making the adjustment of at least one distance between thepositioning detectors 841 more flexible.

In some embodiments, an end of the reciprocating rod(s) 842 may bedirectly fixed on a position of the X-ray system 100. For example, theend of the reciprocating rod(s) 842 may be directly fixed on thedetection component 810, the X-ray source 820, or the C-arm 830.

In some embodiments, the number of the positioning detectors 841 may be3, and the number of the corresponding reciprocating rod(s) 842 may alsobe 3. The three reciprocating rods 842 may be fixed as a whole by anannular holder. The three reciprocating rods 842 may be mounted alongthe edge of the annular holder, and each of the three reciprocating rods842 may extend along a plane of the annular holder. An end of the eachof the reciprocating rods 842 may be connected to the annular holder.The three positioning detectors 841 may be mounted on the other end ofthe each of the three reciprocating rods 842. The annular holder may befitted on the outer periphery of the detection component 810, the outerperiphery of the X-ray source 820 or the outer periphery of the C-arm830.

In some embodiments, the reciprocating rod(s) 842 may be fixed as awhole by a base. When the number of the positioning detectors 841 is 2,the number of the corresponding reciprocating rod(s) 842 may be 2. Thetwo reciprocating rods 842 may be arranged as a shape of slot, a shapeof T, a shape of crisscross. An end of each of the two reciprocatingrods 842 may be connected to the base. The two positioning detectors 841may be mounted on the other end of the each of the reciprocating rods842. The base may be mounted on an outer surface of the shell of thedetection component 810, or an inner surface of the shell of thedetection component 810. The base may also be mounted on an outersurface of the shell of the detection component 810, or an inner surfaceof the shell of the X-ray source 820. The base may also be mounted onthe C-arm 830.

When the distance between the positioning detectors 841 needs to beadjusted, a reciprocating length of the reciprocating rod(s) 842 may beadjusted, thereby adjusting the distances between two of the positioningdetectors 841.

In some embodiments, the reciprocating rod(s) 842 may include a leastone electric reciprocating rod, thereby automatically adjusting thedistances between the positioning detectors 841. In some embodiments,the at least one electric reciprocating rod may be equipped with atleast one encoder, thereby monitoring the adjustment of the distances inreal time.

In some embodiments, the positioning detectors 841 may include at leastone slide rail. At least two of the positioning detectors 841 may slidethrough the at least one slide rail.

In some embodiments, the at least one slide rail may be mounted on thedetection component 810, the X-ray source 820, or the C-arm 830. Each ofthe at least one slide rail may have a shape of slot, a shape of T, ashape of crisscross, etc. The at least two of the positioning detectors841 may slide through the at least one slide rail, thereby adjusting thedistances between the positioning detectors 841 based on practicaldemand. Therefore, the accuracy of the navigation may be improved. Insome embodiments the each of the at least one slide rail may include achute structure, a slide structure.

In some embodiments, the slide rail may include a reciprocating sliderail. Therefore, a range for adjusting the distances between thepositioning detectors 841 may be increased and an area of the slide railmay be decreased, e.g., a reciprocating slide-way structure.

The third positioning component 840 may be integrated in the X-raysystem directly in the present disclosure, thereby avoiding to place anadditional trolley for navigation in an operation room and saving thespace of the operation room. When the X-ray system 800 is used fornavigation, an anatomical image of the target subject may be firstobtained, and the location information of the target subject may beoverlapped and displayed on the anatomical image for navigation.

An additional navigation device may need to be registered to an X-raysystem in the prior art. Three points on at least one flat detector ofthe X-ray system may be determined by a positioning pin, and theadditional navigation device may collect a spatial location of the flatdetector, thereby registering the additional navigation device to theX-ray system. In the present disclosure, the third positioning component840 may be integrated in the X-ray system 800, and thus the locationinformation of the X-ray system 800 determined by the third positioningcomponent 840 and the anatomical image may have a relatively highcompatibility and matching degree. Besides, the image transmissionresponse is relatively fast, thereby improving the accuracy of thenavigation effectively.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary X-ray system,and FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary travel pathof an X-ray beam emitted by an X-ray source and an exemplary travel pathof a first laser beam emitted by a first laser component according tosome embodiments of the present disclosure. The X-ray system 1200 mayinclude an X-ray source 1231, a C-arm 1230, a detection component 1232,and a platform 1250. The X-ray source 1231 may be configured to emitX-rays towards a target subject. The detection component 1232 may beconfigured to receive at least a portion of the X-rays that transmitthrough the target subject. The platform 1250 may be configured tosupport the detection component 1232 and the X-ray source. The C-arm1230 may be configured to support the detection component 1232 and theX-ray source. A portion of the component of the X-ray system 1200 (e.g.,the detection component 1232, the platform 1250) may be similar to thecomponents of the X-ray system 400 or 800.

As shown in FIGS. 12-13 , the X-ray system 1200 may also include asecond positioning component 1220 and a laser emitting component 1310.The laser emitting component 1310 may be mounted on the X-ray source1231 and configured to emit a laser beam (also referred to as“positioning beam”). The projection of the laser beam on the targetsubject may have a first predetermined pattern. In some embodiments, agrating with grids may be configured inside the laser emitting component1310, thereby generating the laser beam of which the projection includegrids when the laser beam penetrates the grating. The second positioningcomponent 1220 may be situated between the detection component 1232 andthe platform 1250. In some embodiments, the C-arm 1230 may be configuredwith at least one holder, and the second positioning component 1220 maybe fixed by the holder(s). The surface of the second positioningcomponent 1220 may show a pattern.

The X-ray system 1200 may determine at least one anatomical imageassociated with the target subject by emitting the X-rays towards thetarget subject. The anatomical image may show a physical condition ofthe at least a portion of the target subject. If there is somethingwrong with the at least a portion of the target subject, a lesion pointmay be determined based on the anatomical image. An overlaid image maybe determined by overlapping the pattern and the anatomical image.Before placing the target subject on the platform 1250, the firstpredetermined pattern may be determined to coincide with or be adjustedto coincide with the pattern of the second positioning component, and afirst travel path of the laser beam may be determined to coincide withor be adjusted to coincide with a second travel path of the X-ray beam.A target point may then be determined after the laser emitting component1310 emits the laser beam towards the target subject based on theanatomical image and the pattern. The target point may be a pointcorresponding to the lesion point, and a surgical operation may beperformed at the target subject. As a result, the X-ray system 1200described above may facilitate an operator (e.g., a doctor) to locate atarget point (e.g., a lesion point) of the target subject.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 13 , the X-ray source 1231 mayinclude an X-ray component 1330-1 and a laser controlling component1330-2. The X-ray component 1330-1 may be configured to emit the X-raystowards the target subject. The laser component 1330-2 may be underneathof the X-ray component 1330-1. The laser component 1330-2 may include areflector 1330-3 and the laser emitting component 1310. The reflector1330-3 may be tilted, and the laser emitting component 1310 may besituated on one side of the reflector 1330-3. A travel path of theX-rays emitted by the X-ray component 1330-1 may be the same as a travelpath of the X-rays after reflected by the reflector 1330-3. A travelpath of the laser emitted by the laser emitting component 1310 may bedifferent from a travel path of the laser after reflected by thereflector 1330-3, and the travel path of the laser after reflected bythe reflector 1330-3 may coincide with the travel path of the X-raysemitted by the X-ray component 1330-1. The structure of the X-ray source1231 described above may ensure that the travel path of the laser afterreflected by the reflector 1330-3 may coincide with the travel path ofthe X-rays emitted by the X-ray component 1330-1 and avoid the laseremitting component 1310 being situated underneath the X-ray component1330-1, which may cause to shelter a portion of the X-rays. In someembodiments, the laser emitting component 1310 may include a laser lamp.A pattern of laser emitted by the laser lamp may be grids, and theconfiguration may facilitate the structure of the second positioningcomponent 1220 for determining the target point of the target subject.

In some embodiments, the second positioning component 1220 may besituated on a surface of the detection component 1232 facing theplatform 1250, thereby making a distance between the second positioningcomponent 1220 and the detection component 1232 closer. A size of thesecond positioning component 1220 may be approximately equal to a sizeof the pattern projected on the detection component 1232, therebyreducing the influence of the amplification on the second positioningcomponent 1220 and improving the accuracy for locating the target point.

In some embodiments, the second positioning component 1220 may be madeof (soft) metal, e.g., aluminum, copper. The second positioningcomponent 1220 made of soft metal may have a relatively good flexibilityconvenient to wind when there is no need to use the second positioningcomponent 1220. The X-ray system 1200 may also include a human-computerinteraction module. The human-computer interaction module may beconfigured to set the second positioning component 1220 in apreoperational mode before a surgery for determining a target point andexit the preoperational mode after the target point is determined. Thehuman-computer interaction module may include an operation panel and anoperation button.

The second positioning component 1220 may not be needed to be fixed onthe surface of the target subject, thereby simplifying the process forlocating the target point of the target subject and improving theefficiency of the operation. The second positioning component 1220 maybe situated between the detection component 1232 and the platform 1250,and a ratio for amplifying the grids of the second positioning component1220 may be relatively small, thus the grids of the second positioningcomponent 1220 may be made relatively more fine than the grids of theprior art. As a result, the target point of the target subject may belocated by one time and the result may be more accurately. Besides, atimes of emitting the X-ray beam towards the target subject may bereduced.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary pattern of asecond positioning component, and FIG. 15 is a schematic diagramillustrating an exemplary anatomical image associated with the exemplarypattern of the second positioning component according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

The pattern may include at least one laser marker (not shown in FIGS.12-15 ). The at least one laser marker may be marked on the grating withgrids. The at least one laser marker may be arranged at intersections ofthe grids according to a predetermined form. For example, the at leastone laser marker may be arranged in a form of crisscross at theintersections of the grids. The second positioning component 1220 mayalso include at least one positioning marker 1221. Each of thepositioning marker(s) 1221 may correspond to one of the at least onelaser marker. The configuration of the positioning marker(s) 1221 mayfacilitate the operator to locate the target point of the target subjectbased on the anatomical image. The at least one laser marker projectedon the target subject may facilitate the operator to locate the targetpoint (e.g., a puncturing point) of the target subject for the operation(e.g., a puncturing surgery). As shown in FIGS. 14-15 , the positioningmarker(s) 1221 may be arranged in a form of crisscross at theintersections of the grids. It should be noted that the abovedescription of the arrangement of the positioning marker(s) 1221 isprovided for the purpose of illustration, and is not intended to limitthe scope of the present disclosure. The arrangement of the positioningmarker(s) 1221 may be in any other suitable form. Additionally, a shapeof the grids of the second positioning component 1220 and/or the gridsof the laser beam may include triangle, square, quadrangle, polygon,circle, curve, concentric circles, etc. When the shape of the grids issquare, it may facilitate the operator to observe and locate the targetpoint of the target subject.

FIGS. 16-19 are schematic diagram illustrating exemplary secondpositioning components according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

As shown in FIGS. 16-19 , the X-ray system 1200 may include a movementdevice. The movement device may be configured to move the secondpositioning component 1220 away from the surface of the detectioncomponent 1232 facing the platform 1250. For example, the movementdevice may move the second positioning component 1220 by machine hands,cylinders, etc. In some embodiments, the movement device may include atransmission mechanism 1640. The transmission mechanism 1640 may beconfigured to place the second positioning component 1220 on thedetection component 1232 upon entering the preoperational mode, and windthe second positioning component 1220 on the detection component 1232upon exiting the preoperational mode. The transmission mechanism 1640may include at least one transmission wheel. The at least onetransmission wheel may be connected to the second positioning component1220. In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 16-17 , an end of thesecond positioning component 1220 may be fixed on the transmissionwheel. Upon detecting entering the preoperational mode, the transmissionmechanism 1640 may pull out the second positioning component 1220. Upondetecting exiting the preoperational mode, the transmission mechanism1640 may wind the second positioning component 1220 on the transmissionwheel. In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 18-19 , when the secondpositioning component 1220 is in use, the transmission mechanism 1640may place the second positioning component 1220 on the detectioncomponent 1232. When there is no need to use the second positioningcomponent 1220, the transmission mechanism 1640 may hide the secondpositioning component 1220 on a surface of the detection component 1232back to the platform 1250. It should be noted that the above descriptionof the transmission mechanism 1640 is provided for the purpose ofillustration, and is not intended to limit the scope of the presentdisclosure. The transmission mechanism 1640 may include any suitablestructure that makes the second positioning component 1220 placed orwounded. The configuration of the transmission mechanism 1640 mayfacilitate the user of the X-ray system and shorten a time for anoperator to perform a surgery. Besides, the second positioning component1220 may have little influence on normal process for generating ananatomical image associated with the target subject, thereby improvingthe applicability of the X-ray system.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for determininga target point according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

In 2010, the second positioning component 1220 may be mounted betweenthe detection component 1232 and the target subject. In someembodiments, the transmission mechanism 1640 may move the secondpositioning component 1220 to the surface of the detection component1232 facing to the target subject upon detecting that a preoperationalmode is set.

In 2020, an overlaid image may be obtained. The overlaid image mayinclude an anatomical image associated with the target subject and apattern of the second positioning component 1220 formed on a surface ofthe target subject. In some embodiments, the anatomical image may bedetermined by projecting a detection beam towards the target subject.

In 2030, a lesion point associated with the target subject may bedetermined based on the anatomical image or the overlaid image. In 2040,a target point corresponding to the lesion point may be determined basedon the overlaid image and a first predetermined pattern determined byprojecting a positioning beam to the target subject. The positioningbeam may be emitted by the laser emitting component. After the targetpoint is determined, the preoperational mode may exist, and an operatormay perform a surgical operation at or around the target point.

The target point may be determined based on a relationship between thefirst predetermined pattern and the pattern of second positioningcomponent 1220, thereby improving the accuracy and reduce an operationtime of determining the target point for the operator and reducing atimes of radiation towards the target subject.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary processing device120 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Theprocessing device 120 may include an image determination module 2110, apattern overlapping module 2120, a pattern forming module 2130, and apoint determination module 2140.

The image determination module 2110 may be configured to determine ananatomical image associated with a target subject. The anatomical imagemay show a physical condition of at least a portion of the targetsubject. In some embodiments, the image determination module 2110 maydetermine the anatomical image by projecting a detection beam towardsthe target subject. The image determination module 2110 may project thedetection beam upon obtaining an instruction for projecting thedetection beam.

The pattern overlapping module 2120 may be configured to overlap a firstpattern on the anatomical image. The first pattern may include aplurality of first repeated shapes. The anatomical image may be dividedinto a plurality of portions by the first repeated shapes. The firstpattern can be used to mark at least one point (e.g., a lesion point) ofthe target subject based on the first repeated shapes. In someembodiments, the pattern overlapping module 2120 may determine at leastone location of the at least one point of the target subject relative toany reference element of the first pattern. For example, the referenceelement may include a point on the first pattern, a line on the firstpattern, etc. In some embodiments, the first pattern may include atleast one marker. The at least one marker may be used to mark the atleast one point (e.g., a lesion point) of the target subject. The atleast one marker may include intersecting points of the grids, shortlines, circles, etc.

The pattern forming module 2130 may be configured to form a secondpattern on the surface of the target subject by projecting a positioningbeam to the target subject. The positioning beam may be a laser beam.The laser beam may be an array of induced photons. The second patternmay include a plurality of second repeated shapes, and the secondpattern may coincide with the first pattern. In some embodiments, thesize of each first repeated shape of the first pattern may beproportional with the size of each second repeated shape of the secondpattern, e.g., 1.5:1, 1.2:1, etc.

The point determination module 2140 may be configured to determine atarget point based on the anatomical image and the second pattern. Thetarget point may be a point where a surgical operation is performed.

In some embodiments, the point determination module 2140 may determine alesion point associated with the target subject based on the anatomicalimage. If there is something wrong with the at least a portion of thetarget subject, a lesion point may be determined based on the anatomicalimage. The point determination module 2140 may then determine the targetpoint on the girds of the second pattern based on the lesion point. Thetarget point may be a point on the second pattern or the surface of thetarget subject corresponding to the lesion point on the anatomical imageand the first pattern.

In some embodiments, the point determination module 2140 may firstdetermine a relationship between a plurality of first points on thegrids of the first pattern and a plurality of second pointscorresponding to the plurality of first points on the grids of thesecond pattern. For example, the relationship may include a directproportional relationship (e.g., 1.5:1, 1.2:1), an inverse proportionalrelationship, a logarithmic relationship, etc. The point determinationmodule 2140 may then determine the target point on the grids of thesecond pattern based on the lesion point and the relationship.

In some embodiments, the point determination module 2140 may obtaindiagnostic information associated with the target subject. Thediagnostic information may be associated with the anatomical image, orany other examination result associated with the target subject thatrepresents the physical condition of the at least a portion of thetarget subject. The point determination module 2140 may then determinethe lesion point associated with the target subject based on thediagnostic information.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for determininga target point of an X-ray system according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. The X-ray system may include an X-ray source, aC-arm, a detection component, and a platform. The function of the X-raysource, the C-arm, the detection component, and the platform may besimilar to the X-ray source, the C-arm, the detection component, and theplatform described in the X-ray system 400, the X-ray system 800, or theX-ray system 1200.

The X-ray source may further include an X-ray component, a lasercontrolling component, and a reflector. The structure and the functionof the X-ray component, the laser controlling component and thereflector may be similar to the X-ray component 1330-1, the lasercontrolling component 1330-2 and the reflector 1330-3 respectively. Asshown in FIG. 13 , the laser controlling component 1330-2 may besituated at one side of the X-ray component 1330-1 and not be situatedwithin a range that the X-ray component 1330-1 emits the X-rays, therebyavoiding sheltering at least a portion of the X-rays. In someembodiments, the reflector 1330-3 may be situated within the range thatthe X-ray component 1330-1 emits the X-rays. A travel path of a laserbeam emitted by the laser emitting component may be changed upon passingthrough the reflector, and the changed travel path may coincide with atravel path of an X-ray beam emitted by the X-ray source.

In 2210, the image determination module 2110 may determine an anatomicalimage associated with a target subject. The anatomical image may show aphysical condition of at least a portion of the target subject.

The image determination module 2110 may determine the anatomical imageby projecting a detection beam towards the target subject. The detectionbeam may be the X-ray beam emitted by the X-ray source. The X-ray beammay be a particle flow caused by the transition of electrons between twoenergy levels with widely different energy levels in an atom. The X-raybeam may be an electromagnetic wave having a wavelength betweenultraviolet rays and gamma rays.

The image determination module 2110 may project the detection beam uponobtaining an instruction for projecting the detection beam. In someembodiments, the instruction may be automatically generated upondetecting that the target subject is placed at the platform. In someembodiments, the instruction may be automatically generated upondetecting that the target subject has been placed at the platform andhas not been moved for a predetermined time. In some embodiments, theinstruction may be generated by an operator (e.g., a doctor) via thenetwork 150.

In 2220, the pattern overlapping module 2120 may overlap a first patternon the anatomical image. The first pattern may include a plurality offirst repeated shapes. The anatomical image may be divided into aplurality of portions by the first repeated shapes. The first patterncan be used to mark at least one point (e.g., a lesion point) of thetarget subject based on the first repeated shapes. In some embodiments,the pattern overlapping module 2120 may determine at least one locationof the at least one point of the target subject relative to anyreference element of the first pattern. For example, the referenceelement may include a point on the first pattern, a line on the firstpattern, etc. In some embodiments, the first pattern may include atleast one marker. The at least one marker may be used to mark the atleast one point (e.g., a lesion point) of the target subject. The atleast one marker may include intersecting points of the grids, shortlines, circles, etc.

In 2230, the pattern forming module 2130 may form a second pattern onthe surface of the target subject by projecting a positioning beam tothe target subject. The positioning beam may be a laser beam. The laserbeam may be an array of induced photons. The second pattern may includea plurality of second repeated shapes, and the second pattern maycoincide with the first pattern. In some embodiments, the size of eachfirst repeated shape of the first pattern may be proportional with thesize of each second repeated shape of the second pattern, e.g., 1.5:1,1.2:1, etc.

In some embodiments, the first pattern or the second pattern may includegrids. For example, the grids may include grids including regularpolygons, girds including irregular polygons, girds including circles,etc. As another example, the first pattern or the second pattern mayinclude a plurality of closed shapes arranged from outside to inside.The closed shapes may include circles, regular polygons, irregularpolygons, etc. It should be noted that the above description of thefirst pattern and/or the second pattern is provided for the purpose ofillustration, and is not intended to limit the scope of the presentdisclosure. The first pattern and/or the second pattern may include anypattern with suitable shapes.

In some embodiments, the pattern forming module 2130 may project thepositioning beam upon obtaining an instruction for projecting thepositioning beam. In some embodiments, the instruction may beautomatically generated upon detecting that the target subject is placedat the platform. In some embodiments, the instruction may beautomatically generated upon detecting that the target subject has beenplaced at the platform and has not been moved for a predetermined time.In some embodiments, the instruction may be generated by an operator viathe network 150.

In some embodiments, the pattern forming module 2130 may form a secondpattern on the surface of the target subject by projecting a markingbeam to the target subject. The marking beam may be emitted by a laserdevice (e.g., the laser emitting component, a laser lamp) mounted on theC-arm.

In 2240, the point determination module 2140 may determine a targetpoint based on the anatomical image and the second pattern. The targetpoint may be a point where a surgical operation is performed.

In some embodiments, the positioning beam may be adjusted based on thefirst pattern and the second pattern projected by the positioning beam.When no target subject is placed on the platform, the second patternprojected by the positioning beam may need to coincide with the firstpattern such that the target point may be determined based on the lesionpoint. In some embodiments, a metallic grating with grids may be placedon the surface of the detection component. A reference image may beobtained by emitting the X-rays towards the grating. The reference imagemay include the first pattern. After emitting the positioning beamtowards the grating, a relationship between the first pattern and thesecond pattern may be determined. The positioning beam may be adjustedif the second pattern does not coincide with the first pattern on thereference image.

It should be noted that the above description is provided for thepurpose of illustration, and is not intended to limit the scope of thepresent disclosure. For persons having ordinary skills in the art,multiple variations and modifications may be made under the teaching ofthe present disclosure. However, those variations and modifications donot depart from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, thedetection beam and the positioning beam may be emitted simultaneously.As another example, the positioning beam may be emitted before thedetection beam.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for determininga target point associated with a target subject according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

In 2310, the point determination module 2140 may determine a lesionpoint associated with the target subject based on the anatomical image.As described in 2210, the anatomical image may show the physicalcondition of the at least a portion of the target subject. If there issomething wrong with the at least a portion of the target subject, alesion point may be determined based on the anatomical image. Since thefirst pattern is overlapped with the anatomical image, the location ofthe lesion point may be marked on the first pattern.

In 2320, the point determination module 2140 may determine the targetpoint on the girds of the second pattern based on the lesion point. Thetarget point may be a point on the second pattern or the surface of thetarget subject corresponding to the lesion point on the anatomical imageand the first pattern, and the point determination module 2140 maydetermine the target point based on the lesion point.

In some embodiments, the point determination module 2140 may firstdetermine a relationship between a plurality of first points on thegrids of the first pattern and a plurality of second pointscorresponding to the plurality of first points on the grids of thesecond pattern. For example, the relationship may include a directproportional relationship (e.g., 1.5:1, 1.2:1), an inverse proportionalrelationship, a logarithmic relationship, etc. The point determinationmodule 2140 may then determine the target point on the grids of thesecond pattern based on the lesion point and the relationship.Therefore, the target point may be determined automatically by the X-raysystem, which may avoid the risk of estimating the target point by theoperator, improving the efficiency of determining the target point andreducing the cost.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for determininga lesion point associated with a target subject according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

In 2410, the point determination module 2140 may obtain diagnosticinformation associated with the target subject. The diagnosticinformation may be associated with the anatomical image determined in2210, or any other examination result associated with the target subjectthat represents the physical condition of the at least a portion of thetarget subject. In 2420, the point determination module 2140 maydetermine the lesion point associated with the target subject based onthe diagnostic information.

In some embodiments, the point determination module 2140 may show thediagnostic information associated with the target subject on theanatomical image. For example, the point determination module 2140 mayshow the diagnostic information at one side of the lesion point. It mayfacilitate the operator to explicit the diagnostic information or sharethe diagnostic information with other remote operators. As a result, itmay save time for the surgical operation and improve safetyprobabilities for emergent patients.

Having thus described the basic concepts, it may be rather apparent tothose skilled in the art after reading this detailed disclosure that theforegoing detailed disclosure is intended to be presented by way ofexample only and is not limiting. Various alterations, improvements, andmodifications may occur and are intended to those skilled in the art,though not expressly stated herein. These alterations, improvements, andmodifications are intended to be suggested by this disclosure, and arewithin the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of thisdisclosure.

Moreover, certain terminology has been used to describe embodiments ofthe present disclosure. For example, the terms “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” and/or “some embodiments” mean that a particular feature,structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodimentis included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.Therefore, it is emphasized and should be appreciated that two or morereferences to “an embodiment” or “one embodiment” or “an alternativeembodiment” in various portions of this specification are notnecessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, theparticular features, structures or characteristics may be combined assuitable in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

Further, it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects ofthe present disclosure may be illustrated and described herein in any ofa number of patentable classes or context including any new and usefulprocess, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new anduseful improvement thereof. Accordingly, aspects of the presentdisclosure may be implemented entirely hardware, entirely software(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or combiningsoftware and hardware implementation that may all generally be referredto herein as a “unit,” “module,” or “system.” Furthermore, aspects ofthe present disclosure may take the form of a computer program productembodied in one or more computer-readable media having computer readableprogram code embodied thereon.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including electromagnetic, optical, or thelike, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signalmedium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computerreadable storage medium and that may communicate, propagate, ortransport a program for use by or in connection with an instructionexecution system, apparatus, or device. Program code embodied on acomputer readable signal medium may be transmitted using any appropriatemedium, including wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, or thelike, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent disclosure may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object-oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Scala, Smalltalk, Eiffel, JADE, Emerald, C++, C#, VB. NET,Python or the like, conventional procedural programming languages, suchas the “C” programming language, Visual Basic, Fortran 2103, Perl, COBOL2102, PHP, ABAP, dynamic programming languages such as Python, Ruby, andGroovy, or other programming languages. The program code may executeentirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as astand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partlyon a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. Inthe latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user'scomputer through any type of network, including a local area network(LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to anexternal computer (for example, through the Internet using an InternetService Provider) or in a cloud computing environment or offered as aservice such as a Software as a Service (SaaS).

Furthermore, the recited order of processing elements or sequences, orthe use of numbers, letters, or other designations, therefore, is notintended to limit the claimed processes and methods to any order exceptas may be specified in the claims. Although the above disclosurediscusses through various examples what is currently considered to be avariety of useful embodiments of the disclosure, it is to be understoodthat such detail is solely for that purpose, and that the appendedclaims are not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on thecontrary, are intended to cover modifications and equivalentarrangements that are within the spirit and scope of the disclosedembodiments. For example, although the implementation of variouscomponents described above may be embodied in a hardware device, it mayalso be implemented as a software-only solution, for example, aninstallation on an existing server or mobile device.

Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the foregoing description ofembodiments of the present disclosure, various features are sometimesgrouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereoffor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure aiding in theunderstanding of one or more of the various inventive embodiments. Thismethod of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting anintention that the claimed subject matter requires more features thanare expressly recited in each claim. Rather, inventive embodiments liein less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment.

In some embodiments, the numbers expressing quantities or propertiesused to describe and claim certain embodiments of the application are tobe understood as being modified in some instances by the term “about,”“approximate,” or “substantially.” For example, “about,” “approximate,”or “substantially” may indicate ±20% variation of the value itdescribes, unless otherwise stated. Accordingly, in some embodiments,the numerical parameters set forth in the written description andattached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon thedesired properties sought to be obtained by a particular embodiment. Insome embodiments, the numerical parameters should be construed in lightof the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinaryrounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges andparameters setting forth the broad scope of some embodiments of theapplication are approximations, the numerical values set forth in thespecific examples are reported as precisely as practicable.

Each of the patents, patent applications, publications of patentapplications, and other material, such as articles, books,specifications, publications, documents, things, and/or the like,referenced herein is hereby incorporated herein by this reference in itsentirety for all purposes, excepting any prosecution file historyassociated with same, any of same that is inconsistent with or inconflict with the present document, or any of same that may have alimiting affect as to the broadest scope of the claims now or laterassociated with the present document. By way of example, should there beany inconsistency or conflict between the description, definition,and/or the use of a term associated with any of the incorporatedmaterial and that associated with the present document, the description,definition, and/or the use of the term in the present document shallprevail.

In closing, it is to be understood that the embodiments of theapplication disclosed herein are illustrative of the principles of theembodiments of the application. Other modifications that may be employedmay be within the scope of the application. Thus, by way of example, butnot of limitation, alternative configurations of the embodiments of theapplication may be utilized in accordance with the teachings herein.Accordingly, embodiments of the present application are not limited tothat precisely as shown and described.

We claim:
 1. A positioning method of an X-ray system, the X-ray systemincluding an X-ray source, a detection component, a positioningcomponent, and a laser emitting component, and the positioning methodcomprising: causing the positioning component to be mounted between thedetection component and a target subject; obtaining an overlaid image byoverlaying an anatomical image associated with the target subject with afirst pattern of the positioning component, the anatomical image beingdetermined by projecting a detection beam towards the target subject bythe X-ray source; determining a lesion point associated with the targetsubject based on the overlaid image; and determining a target pointcorresponding to the lesion point based on the overlaid image and asecond pattern that is determined by projecting, by the laser emittingcomponent, a positioning beam to the target subject.
 2. The positioningmethod of the X-ray system of claim 1, wherein the first pattern or thesecond pattern includes at least one of grids or closed shapes.
 3. Thepositioning method of the X-ray system of claim 2, wherein the gridsinclude at least one of a grid including a regular polygon, a girdincluding an irregular polygon, or a gird including a circle; or theclosed shapes include at least one of a circle, a regular polygon, or anirregular polygon.
 4. The positioning method of the X-ray system ofclaim 1, wherein the determining a lesion point associated with thetarget subject based on the overlaid image includes: determining alocation of the lesion point relative to at least one reference elementof the first pattern.
 5. The positioning method of the X-ray system ofclaim 4, wherein the at least one reference element includes at leastone of an intersection point of the first pattern, a line of the firstpattern, or a circle of the first pattern.
 6. The positioning method ofthe X-ray system of claim 1, wherein the target point is on a surface ofthe target subject corresponding to the lesion point or a point on thesecond pattern.
 7. The positioning method of the X-ray system of claim1, wherein the target point is a point where a surgical operation is tobe performed.
 8. The positioning method of the X-ray system of claim 1,wherein the determining a target point corresponding to the lesion pointbased on the overlaid image and a second pattern that is determined byprojecting, by the laser emitting component, a positioning beam to thetarget subject includes: determining the target point corresponding tothe lesion point based on the overlaid image and a relationship betweenthe first pattern and the second pattern.
 9. The positioning method ofthe X-ray system of claim 8, wherein the first pattern includes aplurality of first shapes.
 10. The positioning method of the X-raysystem of claim 9, wherein the second pattern includes a plurality ofsecond shapes.
 11. The positioning method of the X-ray system of claim10, wherein the relationship between the first pattern and the secondpattern includes a ratio of a size of one of the plurality of firstshapes to a size of one of the plurality of second shapes.
 12. Thepositioning method of the X-ray system of claim 11, wherein therelationship between the first pattern and the second pattern includesat least one of an inverse proportional relationship or a logarithmicrelationship.
 13. The positioning method of the X-ray system of claim 1,wherein the positioning component is situated on a surface of thedetection component facing a platform on which the target subject isplaced.
 14. The positioning method of the X-ray system of claim 1,wherein the second positioning component is made of soft metal.
 15. AnX-ray system, comprising: an X-ray source configured to emit an X-raybeam towards a target subject; a detection component configured toreceive at least a portion of the X-ray beam that transmits through thetarget subject; a positioning component being situated between thedetection component and the target subject; and a laser emittingcomponent configured to emit a laser beam, wherein the X-ray system isconfigured to determine a target point by generating an overlaid imageby overlaying an anatomical image associated with the target subjectwith a first pattern of the positioning component, the anatomical imagebeing determined by projecting a detection beam towards the targetsubject by the X-ray source; and determining the target pointcorresponding to the lesion point based on the overlaid image and asecond pattern, the second pattern being determined by projecting, bythe laser emitting component, a positioning beam to the target subject.16. The X-ray system of claim 15, wherein the X-ray system is configuredto determine the target point corresponding to the lesion point based onthe overlaid image and a relationship between the first pattern and thesecond pattern.
 17. The X-ray system of claim 16, wherein the firstpattern includes a plurality of first shapes.
 18. The X-ray system ofclaim 17, wherein the second pattern includes a plurality of secondshapes.
 19. The X-ray system of claim 18, wherein the relationshipbetween the first pattern and the second pattern includes a ratio of asize of one of the plurality of first shapes to a size of one of theplurality of second shapes.
 20. The X-ray system of claim 19, whereinthe relationship between the first pattern and the second patternincludes at least one of an inverse proportional relationship or alogarithmic relationship.